"sit" just got real.

CHARLIE ROSE: Chaos in Congress as House Democrats

stage an all-night sit-in to push for a vote on gun control.

This was dramatic, like nothing we have ever seen before.

MAN: We're in uncharted territory now.

We certainly have not had members, uh,

sleeping overnight in protest.

This historic protest that lasted for more than 24 hours...

Yes. It turns out the best way to get something done

in Congress is by sitting on your ass.

But jokes aside, what happened yesterday was unprecedented.

House Democrats, so frustrated with their inability

to even get a vote on two gun reform bills, uh,

including one supported by 90% of the population,

staged a sit-in of a magnitude unseen in modern history.

Yeah. But that didn't mean

that they couldn't have a little fun while they were doing it.

JONATHAN KARL: It went on throughout the night,

the House floor sometimes looking like

a rowdy slumber party.

WOMAN: Lawmakers bringing in pizza, late night snacks,

cell phone chargers, even blankets and pillows

and giving each other neck massages.

(cheering)

MAN: Representative Cleaver of Missouri,

he had a large pink and white striped pillow

and he said that he was prepared to spend the night.

You know that congressman has been saving that pillow, right?

You know he's been having that pillow.

You can't just pop out and buy a pink and white striped pillow.

That's not how it works.

The guy's been waiting forever for this moment.

Every time he's been in Congress, like, "And now?

"No? Okay, okay. Okay.

"How about now? Oh, no, no, no.

"Obamacare... No? Oh, man, looks like it's...

"Sit-in! Finally!

"Yeah! Now I get to use my pillow

and my matching blazer."

(laughter)

Why does it match?

Man, 25 hours.

Can you imagine 25 hours just sitting there together?

And I'm sure the first couple of hours were cordial, you know.

But after, like, hour five,

people probably started to let loose.

You know, let a fart slip here and there. Yeah.

It's 25 hours.

And someone's like, "What is that smell?"

"Republican (bleep)!"

(laughter)

Now...

Now the congressman leading yesterday's sit-in

was none other than Georgia representative

and famed Civil Rights protester John Lewis.

MAN: John Lewis, uh, the congressman,

the Civil Rights icon who helped lead the sit-in.

Best known, uh, for the work he did

during the Civil Rights era,

leading the march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.

WOMAN: In the 1960s, he led sit-ins demanding an end

to segregation.

That's right, that's right.

This is what John Lewis does.

He's been sitting in for decades.

Now, he knows that when you want something, you sit in for it.

Gun control vote-- you sit in.

Civil Rights-- you sit in.

Opening night tickets for Star Wars: Episode VII--

you sit in.

(laughter)

(imitating Yoda): Hmm!

Marched with King, I have.

Overcome, we shall.

(laughter)

(normal voice): Now, for me, uh, the biggest winner

of all last night, was C-SPAN

because, you see, a big part of the story

is that the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan,

ordered C-SPAN's cameras turned off

which meant the world couldn't see the Democrats' protest.

But it seems Paul Ryan forgot what year it is.

There are no cameras inside and there are no microphones

because the House is not officially in session,

so C-SPAN cannot be on.

MAN: Members of Congress are capturing live video

on Periscope and other social media outlets

and now C-SPAN, the cable channel,

is actually broadcasting those Periscope streams.

(laughter)

This is so insane.

C-SPAN was broadcasting Periscope.

I haven't seen old and young work that well together

since the first Karate Kid.

I don't even know... what...

Broadcast on, broadcast off.

(laughter)

I mean, cable TV promoting technology

that will someday replace it.

That's like candles being like,

"Hey, have you heard about lightbulbs?

Wow. Wow."

And, by the way, uh, Periscope wasn't the representatives

first choice, but Snapchat, unfortunately,

didn't have the same gravitas for them.

-It just didn't work... -Debate it and vote.

And people can be free to vote

whatever way they choose to.

But our Constitution says...

They should've used the protest filter.

So the Democrats won out

and were able to broadcast the sit-in,

uh, you know, to the American people and, as we all know,

with great power comes a handful of representatives

who don't know what the hell Periscope is.

(laughter)

Oh, man.

Oh, that guy is so cute.

And... and impressive.

How many people can say they've used Periscope, the app,

and an actual periscope?

How many people can say that?

But he's right, though.

He is right. I will say this.

You see, the reason the NRA has so much influence

in Congress is not just because of their money,

but it's because their most vocal members

call Congress all the time and right now,

you're probably, like, that's a good idea.

I'll tweet them.

No, no, that's not going to work.

E-mails don't work.

Look, see that phone that you probably have

in your hand right now... maybe you didn't even know this,

but there's actually a phone app on it...

(laughter)

...and if you move the phone from here to here,

you can call your congressperson with your voice.

And maybe you're, like, "(scoffs) Trevor,

that's something only old people would do."

Yeah, your congressperson is old.

That's why it's the only thing that works.

So, basically last night, Congress had a slumber party

and as with any slumber party,

it was only a matter of time before lame Dad breaks it up.

The chair would hope that the business of the House

could be conducted in a fashion that represe...

-that respects positively -(chanting): No bill, no break!

on the dignity and the decorum of this institution

-to which we all belong. -(chanting continues)

-Poor Dad. -(laughter)

That's a man who was like, "Yeah, sure, honey, uh,

"you can have a slumber party.

"What is it, 20, 25 girls?

How crazy can it get?"

(forced laughing)

"I'm going to kill myself."

Now, many people saw this as an act of protest,

you know, civil disobedience,

a plea to do something about guns in America.

Paul Ryan, well, um, he saw it another way.

This isn't trying to come up with a solution to a problem,

this is trying to get attention.

This is nothing more than a publicity stunt.

Uh, yeah.

That's exactly what a political protest is.

That's what they are-- they're publicity stunts.

When the colonists threw all the tea in the Boston Harbor,

no one said "That's just a publicity stunt.

You can't have a tea party without cucumber sandwiches."

But if anything, if anything, the one place

you can criticize the Democrats is using the sit-in

as an opportunity to fundraise for their campaigns.

Which, to be honest, is pretty (bleep).

You know? When you're up on the moral high ground,

it's not cool to be looking for money. That's not the time.

You know? That's like Martin Luther King going,

"I have a dream, I have a dream" and someone else is like,

"Yes, Dr. King has a dream, and for $500

you can turn that dream into a reality."

So, af... over 24 hours,

the Democrats finally stood down.

Paul Ryan and the Republicans, uh, never did allow a vote

on the gun reform measures.

And the reason why, as one Republican congressman put it

last night, is that they didn't want

to surrender to legislative blackmail.

But essentially, their argument is this.

And that is: this isn't how the House works. All right?

In the House, the majority party decides what bills

come up for a vote, and if they gave in just because Democrats

were causing a scene, it would set a dangerous precedent.

Yeah. You'd have random congress people doing sit ins,

you know, all the time for every little vote

that they wanted, which is ridiculous.

The seats of their pants would start to wear out

from all the sitting, and you'd end up

with a bunch of old white dudes in assless pants.

Nobody wants that. I get it. I get it.

Although I do wonder-- if Republicans say a loud minority

shouldn't be allowed to control Congress,

then why do they let the NRA do it?

And let's not forget...

let's not forget in 2008,

when Republicans were in the minority,

they pulled a similar stunt. Because they wanted a vote

on expanded oil drilling and then Democrats blocked it,

so they also staged a protest.

And that's fine, people, because protesting is a valid way

to make an important point.

For Democrats, the point was that Americans

don't want over 32,000 people to die every year

of gun violence. And for Republicans is that

we want to drill more holes in the ground.

Both equally valid issues.

And look, Republicans do have a point, though.

Responding to this pressure by allowing a vote

could break the system.

But let's face it, the system is already broken.

The people elect congressmen to represent their will.

And right now, by refusing to hold votes on a bill

that's supported by 90% of the American people,

the GOP is ignoring that will. And so the Democrats

are just trying to shock the system back into working.

You know? It's sort of like, like what you do

if you-you put a dollar into a vending machine

and you're trying to get a Kit Kat and then your Kit Kat

gets stuck in the coil thing. You are well within your rights

to smack the (bleep) out of that machine.

Yeah. You get in there

and you smack the (bleep) out of that machine.

And if Paul Ryan comes along and says, "Uh, excuse me,

that's rather uncalled for, uh..." You'd be like,

"Yeah, who gives a (bleep)? That's my (bleep) Kit Kat

in there and I'm gonna get it out."

(cheering, applause)

And if I may-- one more thing about Paul Ryan himself--

the problem with Paul Ryan...

Hey, guys. So, it looks like, uh, Paul Ryan

managed to shut our cameras off,

so I'm coming to you live from Periscope,

and I encourage every one of you to join me

and let your voices be heard. Thank you so much.

Because that's what democracy is all about, people.

That's what it's all about, and... Thank you.

I appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Democracy is supposed to represent

the will of the people, right? And... Wh...

That's true, that's true-- pandas are indeed soft.

Thanks for chiming in. Anyway, it's designed